Aquila Villa - Stories Made New

[JohnH]

One indeed wonders what institution, exactly, "The Justice Commission" is; does it have a board? Does it have relationships that provide oversight? Are any of its employees or agents professionally trained to conduct investigations? Is it anything other than a VoIP phone number, a PO box, and a married couple who have a particular agenda in mind (whether good or bad)?

Moderate-conservative Mennonites seem to love these kind of parachurch agencies, but an obvious question is exactly what oversight (if any) Aquila Villa had or has. Many of these types of problems can be avoided by:

- Yielding control and oversight to an impartial board or church denomination (we certainly have plenty of those to choose from in Anabaptist circles)
- Constituting a rotating board of people who are otherwise qualified
- Having a grievance process, including an accessible board
- Not allowing an institution or agency to be driven by one particularly dominant person/couple or family

But on the other hand:

The early Anabaptists consistently did not follow this principle, and indeed that was the Catholic Church's (or the Reformed churches') chiefest complaint.

They had no interest in apostolic succession or needing the "blessing" of an existing church. They just got together, had a meeting, and then had the absolute audacity to baptise one another.

Either qualifications and oversight are important, or they aren't.

Oddly enough, the moderate conservatives have both strict views around ordination coupled with loose views of founding and running agencies.

[ken_sylvania]

One indeed wonders what institution, exactly, "The Justice Commission" is; does it have a board? Does it have relationships that provide oversight? Are any of its employees or agents professionally trained to conduct investigations? Is it anything other than a VoIP phone number, a PO box, and a married couple who have a particular agenda in mind (whether good or bad)?

The good news is that "The Justice Commission" is ready and willing to be brought on as a consultant to fix the problems that still exist at the institution.

[R7ehr]

What are the credentials of Rebekah Cooper and David Cooper, the individuals identified as part of “The Justice Commission”? Do they themselves have structures of oversight and accountability? Just as untrained or unqualified counselors can cause harm, the same can be true of victim advocates. Everyone should raise concerns about abuse. But if you are going to present yourself in this official and professional way, in my opinion, you should have credentials and oversight. Without those, it seems more ethical to present this as an open letter or a personal report, rather than "The Justice Commission."

One indeed wonders what institution, exactly, "The Justice Commission" is; does it have a board? Does it have relationships that provide oversight? Are any of its employees or agents professionally trained to conduct investigations? Is it anything other than a VoIP phone number, a PO box, and a married couple who have a particular agenda in mind (whether good or bad)?

…

It's still hearsay, because some random institution that we have no idea what it is, who funds it, who operates it, and so on is repeating this allegations and statements.

The Just Us Commission

[mike]

What are the credentials of Rebekah Cooper and David Cooper, the individuals identified as part of “The Justice Commission”? Do they themselves have structures of oversight and accountability? Just as untrained or unqualified counselors can cause harm, the same can be true of victim advocates. Everyone should raise concerns about abuse. But if you are going to present yourself in this official and professional way, in my opinion, you should have credentials and oversight. Without those, it seems more ethical to present this as an open letter or a personal report, rather than "The Justice Commission."

One indeed wonders what institution, exactly, "The Justice Commission" is; does it have a board? Does it have relationships that provide oversight? Are any of its employees or agents professionally trained to conduct investigations? Is it anything other than a VoIP phone number, a PO box, and a married couple who have a particular agenda in mind (whether good or bad)?

…

It's still hearsay, because some random institution that we have no idea what it is, who funds it, who operates it, and so on is repeating this allegations and statements.

The Just Us Commission

Well done sir

[barnhart]

I don't know what is going on, but in such situations I look for total transparency. As long as someone is hiding something, I distance myself. I would think the board should work with the victims and find a neutral 3rd party investigator.